The best standalone mystery novels from Next Chapter [March 2023]
Standalone mystery books are a popular genre of literature that focuses on a single, self-contained story with a mystery at its core. Unlike mystery series, which follow a recurring protagonist over several books, standalone mysteries are complete stories that often feature unique and complex characters. This genre is characterized by its focus on solving a mystery, whether it's a murder, a theft, or some other type of crime. The reader is often given clues throughout the story that allow them to piece together the puzzle alongside the protagonist.
One of the benefits of standalone mystery books is that they can be enjoyed without prior knowledge of the author or their previous works. Unlike series that require readers to follow a specific order, standalone books can be picked up and enjoyed at any time. They offer a sense of satisfaction upon completion, as the reader gets to experience a complete story with a resolution to the central mystery.
Standalone mystery books also allow for a wide range of storytelling styles and settings. From cozy mysteries set in small towns to hardboiled detective novels in gritty cities, the genre can be adapted to fit any setting or tone. This versatility has contributed to the enduring popularity of the genre, as readers are always on the lookout for a new and engaging mystery to solve.
On this page, we’ve collected some of Next Chapter’s best standalone mystery novels, all available from major book retailers. If you like any of the books below, please take a moment to leave the author a review :) Don’t agree with our choices? Please leave a comment and let us know which mystery book is your favorites!
Books featured on this page
Murder At The Tindari by Connie L. Beckett
Book excerpt
An automobile had come and gone with the ermine-caped woman by the time two officers came inside to interview the witnesses. An Officer Johnson pulled Jimmy to one side of the club. A second one, Detective Wells he had told Claire, took her to a table on the opposite side. She sat gratefully, only then aware that her legs were still quaking.
"Who are you?" Wells asked before she had properly arranged herself on the chair.
Claire's anger flared at his rudeness. "Claire O'Connor," she snapped.
He wrote her name in his own notebook. "Well, Miss O'Connor, what were you doing here?"
His eyes took all of her in, from the fashionable hat she worried had become crooked in the excitement, to her modern attire. Then his blue eyes met hers and bored in. Did he think she was a common bar prostitute? How dare he.
"If you must know, I'm a reporter for the Kansas City Times. I was here on a story."
"What story?"
"The opening of this new restaurant, of course." She grew weary of his insolence. She was a career woman, not some twit or a chambermaid he could intimidate. If he wasn't so—she had to admit it—handsome and manly—she would have told him to talk to her editor and just walked out. His hair was sandy blond with just a hint of red. And then there were his eyes. They were the dark blue of a prairie storm cloud.
A Death in Tuscany by Dick Rosano
Book excerpt
We continued this discussion on our ride back to the Castello. But, once there, our conversation was cut short by the stream of visitors who wanted to pay their respects to the fallen giant. The great room of the Castello, where the Trantino family had hosted so many celebrations with wine, food, and great cheer, seemed hollow that day, even with crowds of well-wishers murmuring their condolences to members of the family.
I greeted each of them with a perfunctory smile as they entered through the massive stone archway leading to the main part of the Castello, passing each visitor along to my cousins and other relatives, but I recognized few of the sad and sullen faces that came before me. I knew they were friends and acquaintances, as well as an ample showing of business relations who had bought and sold wines from the Castello dei Trantini over the years. The rest of the Trantino family seemed to know them well and I soon tired of the parade and wanted to sneak off to a quieter place to think.
Near the end of that very long day, I decided to gather up my belongings in the guest suite at the far end of the residential part of the castle and move to the foreman’s house nearby. It was a sturdy stone building overlooking the vineyards once occupied by the man responsible for the care and upkeep of the vineyards. He lived there with his family, in a house given freely by the lord of the Trantino clan, and it was his as long as he worked at the winery. But, in time, the vineyard manager decided to move into another home near the town of Pianella. The stone villa stood empty for a while, but I had claimed it as my own during previous visits to the Castello dei Trantini, and I planned to do so again this time.
I got a ride to the villa from one of the vineyard workers. The little stone home stood on a level clearing at the top of a hill overlooking the olive trees and grapevines. On the horizon to the south, Siena sprawled across the hills in the distance, while the forests of our estate crowded in from all other directions. The prized cinghiale roamed through those trees and the hunt for them each autumn was a time of great camaraderie and challenge, rewarded with succulent aromas of roasting meat over an outdoor fire.
Sea Scope by Debbie De Louise
Book excerpt
Julie Brewster wasn’t surprised her first guest arrived a day early. Wanda Wilson still lived in Cape Bretton and was one of her best friends despite the fact the woman was young enough to be her daughter. In fact, there were times Julie thought of Wanda as the child she’d never had. She knew Wanda reciprocated the feeling because Wanda’s parents, traditional Southern Blacks, had evicted her from their home when she became pregnant at sixteen by a married white man.
There was a period, before the tragic lighthouse incident, when Wanda and her daughter, Wendy, lived at Sea Scope. Wanda couldn’t afford to pay for room and board but made it up by accepting a job as the inn’s housekeeper. The young woman worked hard keeping the rooms clean, checking in guests, and helping Julie cook and serve breakfast. Julie recognized in Wanda the toughness that was part of her own personality and rewarded her with glowing recommendations for positions in Hilton Head resorts when Sea Scope closed. Julie and Wanda ended up working together again briefly at one resort. She was a comfort to Julie when her brother took his life and again when her nephew Glen was killed in a motorcycle accident. However, Wanda and Julie drifted apart the last two years after Wendy had divorced and moved back home. Julie was looking forward to catching up with Wanda and that’s why she was eager to include her old housekeeper as one of the inn’s first guests upon its reopening. She also knew Sarah would be pleased to see Wanda again.
The Lake Of Lilies by Julia Sutton
Book excerpt
Lisa woke with a start, looking sleepily around her. She could decipher dark shapes, rectangles and squares. Bleary eyed, she wondered momentarily where she was before she realized that she was surrounded by her bedroom furniture. The morning sunlight filtered in through gaps underneath and at the sides of dark green, velvet curtains. She rubbed at her eyes. She had been dreaming about the girl again, for the second consecutive night, the same dream: Lisa was standing on the roadside with the lake and the woods behind her. The girl was in the back of a car, and she was banging on the window, silently mouthing the word “help”. Lisa was stuck to the spot, unable to move, as the car drove slowly away, and the girl’s frightened face disappeared out of sight. The dream had been so vivid, it had awoken her, making her shoot upright in her bed, beads of perspiration covering her body and dampening her forehead. Lisa didn’t want to think about it anymore.
Decisively, she flung back the duvet, determined to enjoy the day and put the incident out of her mind. She drew back the curtains and light flooded into the room, chasing away the darkness and banishing the shadows.
Purple Death by Brian L. Porter
Book excerpt
“You're sure, Doc?” Connor asked as they sat in Catherine’s neat and functional office two days after the deaths of Sam Gabriel and Virginia Remick. He noticed, not for the first time, how attractive the pathologist was, even with her hair tied back in a functional ponytail for the purposes of her work. He tried to imagine how her fair hair would look if it were allowed to cascade down into its natural position. Catherine's response quickly snapped him back to reality.
“There's absolutely no doubt,” she replied. “They were both poisoned, and by a particularly nasty little villain which goes by the name of Aconite.”
“The name isn't familiar to me; tell me more.”
“Well, apart from what's happened here, if you know anything about history, it was the preferred method used by Lucrezia Borgia for despatching her victims.”
“Ah, now there's a name I recognise,” said Connor. “Exactly what is this stuff?”
There you go: the best standalone mystery novels from Next Chapter in 03/2023. We hope you enjoy the stories - and if you do, please leave a comment below, or a review in Goodreads or your favorite store. We’d love to hear from you!
Praesent id libero id metus varius consectetur ac eget diam. Nulla felis nunc, consequat laoreet lacus id.